Carl Levin

May 8, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – Senator Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Senator George Voinovich, R-Ohio, co-chairmen of the Senate Great Lakes Task Force, today introduced the bipartisan Great Lakes Legacy Act of 2008 to expand on legislation passed six years ago. The bill aims to clean up contaminated expanses in the Great Lakes known as “Areas of Concern” within 10 years.

Lake Michigan breakwater: Photo by Tom (CC)    » read more »

Bill would limit speculation in oil trading and close loophole for trades on foreign exchanges using U.S. terminals

May 8, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) today introduced the Oil Trading Transparency Act to ensure that energy commodities traded on foreign exchanges using trading terminals located within the United States are subject to the same speculative trading limits and reporting requirements as energy commodities traded on U.S. exchanges.    » read more »

May 6, 2008 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- With energy prices continuing to reach record highs, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Carl Levin (D-MI) sent a letter to President Bush requesting the creation of a new federal task force to investigate whether speculators are driving up prices in energy commodity markets through manipulative or deceptive practices.

Oil drums: Photo by tripletrouble (CC)    » read more »

New Data Shows Continued Outsized Tax Deductions Compared To Booked Expenses

April 21, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – Today, Senator Carl Levin, D-Mich., Chairman of the Senate’s Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, released new data compiled by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) showing that corporations who issued stock options to their executives claimed 2005 stock option tax deductions that were collectively $61 billion larger than the expenses shown on the company books for options granted during the tax year covered by the returns.

100 Wall Street: Photo by Scott Miller (CC)    » read more »

April 18, 2008 -- This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). If you have never heard of DARPA, you are not alone. But some of the innovations it has supported are familiar to all of us, and the work they are doing today will shape the way we live tomorrow. DARPA began the research that led to the creation of the Internet; it originated the technologies used in our military’s stealth aircraft; and it even provided funding to the inventor of the computer mouse.

DARPA NASA USAF experimental hanger: Photo by mollyali (CC)    » read more »

April 16, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – Senators Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) and Carl Levin (D-MI), along with a bipartisan group of colleagues, today sent the following letter to the Secretary of Agriculture Ed Schafer, requesting that the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) complete the 8.1 million pound purchase of red tart cherry products for donation to its Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) program as soon as possible.

Red tart cherries: Photo by Andrew McFarlane (CC)    » read more »

Secretary Gates and Chairman Mullen

April 10, 2008 -- "Welcome, Secretary Gates and Admiral Mullen. We appreciate your willingness to appear before the Committee this afternoon, and we thank you for your dedication and service.

The issue before us isn’t whether or not we want to succeed in leaving Iraq stable and secure. We all seek that goal. The question is how to maximize the chances of success, and whether the course we are on is the right one.

Marines with 3rd Battalion 8th Marine Regiment sleep at Combat outpost Hawk: Photo by USMC    » read more »

April 8, 2008 -- "Welcome General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker. Thank you for joining us today, and thank you for your service to our nation. Please express our deep gratitude to the brave men and women serving in Iraq both in our armed forces and in the civilian agencies of our government.

U.S. Army Sgt. provides security during a cordon and search of a factory in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, April 1, 2008: U.S. Army Sgt. Brandon Maybush, 320th Battalion, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division. U.S. Army photo by Spc. Richard Del Vecchio.    » read more »

April 7, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., and Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-Mass., today expressed disappointment with the decision of Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell not to release an unclassified summary of key conclusions and assessments included in the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq.

Soldiers on search mission in Al Sinaa, Iraq, April 1, 2008: U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Shane Chapman gives a soldier a boost in order to see over a door for possible threats during a cordon and search mission in Al Sinaa, Iraq, on April 1, 2008. Photo: US Army    » read more »

March 14, 2008 -- During the five years of war in Iraq, the United States government has spent approximately half a trillion dollars. That funding includes billions of dollars devoted to reconstruction of Iraq’s infrastructure, training Iraqi security forces and rebuilding Iraq’s economy.

But while American taxpayers have been funding Iraq’s recovery, reports indicate that the Iraqi government has accrued billions of dollars of assets that sit in bank accounts around the world.    » read more »

March 14, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – Early Friday, the Senate approved a Collins-Levin amendment to the FY09 budget resolution that proposes tax incentives that would help to increase our use of renewable energy and reduce our dependence on oil.    » read more »

March 13, 2008 -- In a speech to the Economic Club of Detroit in May 1999, Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., committed to speak often on the issue of gun crimes. To date, he has made 272 Senate speeches on gun crimes since 1999; his remarks follow:    » read more »

March 10, 2008 -- "Mr. President, I recently visited Birch Run High School in Michigan to learn about its Bio-Diesel project. This project is an innovative, forward-thinking endeavor, and I am proud that young people in Michigan are making strides to understand and begin to solve some of our nation’s most pressing concerns.    » read more »

March 11, 2008 -- WASHINGTON – Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Carl Levin, D-Mich., said the following today regarding the resignation of Admiral William Fallon:

“I regret that Admiral Fallon has decided to retire from active duty. He is well known to the Senate Armed Services Committee both from his previous position as Commander, U.S. Pacific Command and his current position as Commander, Central Command.    » read more »

March 5, 2008 -- “Yesterday, the 27 Finance Ministers of the European Union (EU) displayed renewed determination to crack down on tax havens that trade in secrecy and facilitate tax dodging at the expense of honest taxpayers around the world. The Ministers discussed measures to strengthen information exchange, limit secrecy, and increase pressure on countries like Liechtenstein, Switzerland, and Singapore that too often help tax dodgers avoid paying their fair share.    » read more »